The Test of the Memory
}} Haley faces the fork in the road again, but this time the two guards don't want to mess with her. Cast * Roy Greenhilt (as spirit) ◀ ▶ * Haley Starshine ◀ ▶ * Belkar Bitterleaf ◀ ▶ * Mr. Scruffy ◀ ▶ * Celia ◀ ▶ * Eugene Greenhilt ◀ ▶ * Roy's Archon ◀ ▶ * Solt's Donkey ◀ ▶ * Oracle's Guards ◀ * A Butterscotch Pudding Golem Transcript Roy: So, does my gnome automatically disbelieve his own illusions? Archon: I'm not sure...Yeah, OK. Roy: OK, then I peek through the keyhole and cast an illusion of a door directly on the other side of the actual door. Then I open the real door, quietly as I can. Roy: Since I don't believe the illusion of the door I just cast, I should be able to see into the room freely— Roy: —while whatever monster is in the room sees a door. Archon: Nice plan... Archon: Except as you open the door, you see that this particular door has a hook on the other side, from which a wineskin hangs. Archon: Since you didn't take that into account in your illusion, the ogre in the room is now eyeing you illusory door suspiciously, wondering where his mead just went. Roy: Ah, crap. OK, I reach into my pack and pull out my— Eugene: What in the Blue Box blazes is going on here?!? Roy: My gnome illusionist is about to try and escape from an ogre, not that it's any of your business. Eugene: Gnome illusionist, eh? Awww, it's so cute that deep down, you still want to be just like dear old Dad. Roy: Yeah, short, wrinkled, and superfluous. Roy: Oh! You meant the illusions. Eugene: Well stick a pin in your busman's holiday, Son. The redhead is headed to the Oracle. Roy: So what? I mean, good for her, there's nothing I can do about it. Roy: Unless...Maybe the Oracle can see me when I'm down there as a ghost. Roy: I wonder if she's gotten to the Oracle's tower yet. Archon: I guess we'll pick this up next session. Cut to to Haley, Celia, Belkar, Mr. Scruffy, and Solt Lurkyurg's donkey. Celia: Wow, that butterscotch pudding golem was REALLY tough! Celia: So what is the Test of the Mind going to be like? Haley: I'm not sure. For some reason, I can't really remember exactly what hap— Belkar: Watch the cart, Mr. Scruffy. Haley meets Oracle's Guards, one of whom speaks only truth and the other only lies. Red Guard: Left path! Left path! Green Guard: We do want as much trouble as possible! Celia: Huh. I wonder what that was all about... Haley: Beats me. Green Guard: I totally could've kicked her ass If I'd wanted to, you know. Red Guard: You're an idiot. Green Guard: You're not. D&D Context * The "Blue Box" was the 1977 version of the wikipedia:Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set, written by J. Eric Holmes based on Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson's original 1974 Dungeons & Dragons game (0th edition). It was intended as a simpler version of D&D for new players. The rules covered characters level 1-3, with the intention that more experienced players would move to AD&D. * Golems are magical constructed creatures. There is no butterscotch pudding golem in canonical D&D. Trivia * Roy is continuing his game of 1st Edition AD&D that he began after meeting Gary Gygax in #536. * A Busman's Holiday is a holiday or leisure time spent doing something similar to one's normal occupation. In this case Roy is playing D&D, when his occupation is a D&D character. * The Oracle's Guards' riddle was unraveled by Haley in a somewhat unorthodox and intimidating manner in #327, The Test of the Mind. The test is intended to be a Fork in the Road logic puzzle. * The previous time the Guards appeared the strip was titled "The Test of the Mind", this time it is "The Test of the Memory", the implication being that the guard's memory of Haley's violence relieves Haley of needing to repeat the test. * This is the final appearance of the Oracle's Guards. They first appeared in #327. External Links * 565}} View the comic * 83119}} View the discussion thread Category:Return to the Oracle